This invention pertains to a plural-panel armor system. In particular, it pertains to such a system which includes an outer, or exposed, layer of side-by-side, hardened-material, elongate, ballistic armor panels, such as armor steel panels, and an underlying, contactively-engaged but not bonded, layer of side-by-side, closed-cell, extruded, elongate, polyethylene foam panels. The long axes of the panels in each of the two, respective layers preferably lie orthogonally relative to those of the panels in the other layer.
A particular kind of setting, namely, a military setting, has prompted the conception and reduction to practice of the present invention. This setting involves military troops and support personnel in a combat zone wherein housing, office space, etc. each takes the form of conventional, elongate, rectilinear shipping-container units having heights of about 8-feet, depths also of about 8-feet, and lengths of about 20-feet.
The present invention recognizes, with respect to such container units, the lack of adequate overhead (roof) protection from both blast and projectile type attacks (threat events)—events which threaten the safety of anyone inside one of these units. In particular, the present invention directs specific attention to a unique, layered, plural-panel armoring system, or armor system, which is intended, and has been found, to provide impressively adequate shielding, and thus protection, against overhead-incoming ballistic-projectile and blast events. Moreover, and as one will observe on reading the content of the disclosure herein, the proposed plural-panel armoring system of this invention, in addition to furnishing anti-ballistic-projectile and anti-blast protection, also offers features of both heat and sound insulation, and does so with materials which, importantly, do not add any attendant fire hazard.
These and other features and advantages offered by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the detailed description thereof which follows below is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.